New music store Moon Rock Records opens its doors in Eugene

When Callie Dean and Alex Yusimov — veteran employees of Portland-based record store, music venue and record label Mississippi Records — decided to go into business for themselves, they looked beyond Portland to Eugene.

“Between the two of us,” Yusimov tells EW over the phone, “we have 25 years experience.”

Moon Rock Records, a music store carrying vinyl and cassettes, held its grand opening July 1 with a special performance from instrumental guitarist and Mississippi Records recording artist Marisa Anderson. The store also hosted a July 4 in-store appearance from Seattle surf-rock act La Luz before their headlining slot at WOW Hall.

Moon Rock Records is located in the WestTown on 8th building in downtown Eugene, and Yusimov describes the store’s selection as “all over the place … It’s a pretty small space,” he adds. “We’ve talked about carrying a small amount of equipment but we’re going to test out the waters and then we’ll narrow in. A lot of people have expressed a need down there.”

Yusimov says he’ll continue to live in Portland and work at Mississippi Records, but Dean, who is also a soul DJ with interests in early rock and rockabilly music, has relocated to Eugene. The pair looked outside of Portland because the market there is glutted and Eugene’s is growing, Yusimov says. “Since we’ve opened the store we get like, five or six messages a day: ‘Hey, are you guys doing shows? Do you know how to get us a show in Eugene?’”